Mysteries of the Month

Of last month's 20, four stood out as best bets. In order of merit:

THE SOUND OF ROWLOCKS--Wilbur Daniel Steele--Harper ($2.50). First detective novel of prolific Author Steele, best known for his short stories. The Sound of Rowlocks achieves a happy balance between a novel and the conventional detective story. Faced with the problem of presenting flesh-&-blood characters as pawns in a chess puzzle, most writers satisfy neither the novel reader nor the mystery addict. But Wilbur Daniel Steele does well by both. Background and atmosphere are authentic; the characters are clear but not overdeveloped; the plot is ingenious, well-planned, addict-proof.

IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE--Sherwood King -- Simon & Schuster ($2). The chauffeur of a rich Long Island lawyer, involved in a murder conspiracy, finds himself on trial for the murder of a man he did not kill. Plot: clever; style: swift, spare.

THE DEAD DON'T CARE--Jonathan Latimer--Crime Club ($2). Two private investigators who like to drink double triple Scotches manage between drinks to solve a kidnapping, a shooting and a poisoning on a Florida estate. In spots very funny; very, very tough throughout. Readers with weak stomachs had better not apply. A condensed version appeared serially in Collier's under the title A Queen's Ransom.

To WAKE THE DEAD--John Dickson Carr--Harper ($2). An English couple, just returned from South Africa with a group of friends, are brutally murdered, a few days apart and in different parts of England. Scotland Yard suspects all members of their party, all of whom suspect each other. Genial, astute Dr. Fell solves one of his most opaque jobs.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.